After a four-month respite, Sicily’s massive Etna volcano is again showing signs of life. Beginning on September 3, 2013, the Osservatorio Etneo (Etna Observatory) observed explosions and puffs of ash at the summit craters and New Southeast Crater. Over the following weeks, explosions became more frequent. Boris Behncke, a volcanologist at the Osservatorio Etneo captured photographs of ash plumes on September 23 and 25.

On September 24, 2013, Landsat 8 collected this natural-color view of Etna. A plume of volcanic gases streamed from the summit towards the southwest. The New Southeast Crater is quiet, but the ochre and rust colors in the lava flow to the east of the crater hint at violent activity earlier in the year.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen and Robert Simmon, using Landsat data from the USGS Earth Explorer.